The protesters have described it as â€śa blow to religious sentimentsâ€ť of Hindu people and â€śan insult to Hindu rules and family tradition.â€ť They are demanding that the government scraps the proposal.

â€śFor over 5,000 years, Hindus have got married by the traditional system that requires no registration. We have no provision for divorce or polygamy,â€ť said Supreme Court lawyer Ashok Kumar Ghosh on behalf of the protesters.

â€śThis move is propelled by NGOs who are foreign-funded,â€ť said Dr. Tapan Bagchi, deputy director of Bangla Academy, a state-run cultural institute. â€śFor thousands of years Hindus have followed the traditional customs for marriage and inheritance. Problems can be solved within the family. No law is needed.â€ť

The bill was presented to parliament in July and is expected to be passed before the end of the year. Its contentious features include an amendment that would make polygamy, which is reportedly increasing among Hindu males, a punishable offense.

While conservatives oppose it, many Hindu women and rights activists have welcomed the proposed law.

Despite her upper class background, Bani Roy typifies the predicament of many Hindu women. She says she was constantly abused, physically and mentally, throughout her 12-year marriage.

â€śI endured torture,â€ť she said. â€śMy former husband re-married but I canâ€™t, because I donâ€™t have any marriage document. Also, I canâ€™t demand any maintenance from him.â€ť

Ayesha Khanam, president of the leading womenâ€™s rights group Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said that Hindu women in Bangladesh should be entitled to the same rights as they are in India and Nepal.

â€śWe have seen how Hindu women are abused, tortured and deprived,â€ť she said. â€śMuslim and Christian women get a share of their fathers' and husbands' property, Hindu women get nothing. The new law must be passed to bring an end to discrimination.â€ť